


Only to Be With You

by maddieaddam



Series: The first "I love you" drabbles [1]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Short One Shot, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 21:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10976136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddieaddam/pseuds/maddieaddam
Summary: Gene is there. He's always there. It's Babe who needs to catch up.





	Only to Be With You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fiction inspired by and only intended to represent the roles played in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. No disrespect is meant to the real men of Easy Company.
> 
> The prompt for this "first I love you" drabble was: in gratitude.

Gene is there. He’s always there.

When Babe is unkind to him, snapping at all of his eccentricities and mocking them to others after he’s left, Gene is there with confused, slightly hurt, but unwavering dedication to his well-being.

When Babe tries to cut himself off from everyone, his light dimmed almost to nothing, his laugh silenced, his cheerful voice trapped behind a guilty frown, Gene is there - but at a respectful distance, even with concern etched all over his face.

When Babe needs to break down at last, Gene is there with something sweet and comforting for his taste buds, a reminder of childhood and freedom and innocence and joy and _home_ , and with the silence he needs to make room in the tense air between the three of them for all his bitter confessions, and with the warmth of his body to balance out Ralph’s soft, just as soothing warmth on his other side so that Babe can finally rest.

When Babe sees Gene fading, fading, leaving them in spirit and mind before he has in body, and he thinks _no, please no_ , because he can’t do this without Gene’s presence any more, if he ever could, so he reaches and grasps and clutches and pleads however he can, Gene is there (still, or again) just when Babe thinks he’s truly disappeared.

When Babe feels as though nothing will ever lift his spirits to the point where he can smile and laugh again, not furious or afraid or grieving but simply too _exhausted_ to be anything but irritable and short with everyone, Gene is there with his sweetly confused face and eccentricities, all of which are suddenly more endearing than anything Babe’s ever seen, and he smiles, and laughs, and once again feels warm inside.

When Babe returns from a patrol that wasn’t necessary, wasn’t worth the risk, and showed no respect for them as living, breathing people rather than extensions of their weapons, a patrol in which they lost one of those living, breathing people in perhaps the most bitterly meaningless way possible, Gene is there to fight for the boy’s life with all the desperate valor the men of Easy Company have come to know so well, and not a soul in the room could name him responsible when his attempts don’t succeed.

And Gene is still there when Babe thinks he’s finally found a corner of Haguenau remote enough to allow him a few moments of solitary grief, he’s there as if drawn by a silent call and Babe realizes he doesn’t _want_ to go through any of this process alone, not once he’s wrapped up in Gene’s gentle but firm embrace.

And he doesn’t have to, because of course, Gene is there.

“I love you,” he says softly, without any real intent or expectation behind it, just stating a fact that Gene deserves to know. Gene tilts his head so that their cheeks are pressed together, clammy and dirty but still warm once they make contact; Babe can feel Gene’s cheek shift against his as he smiles.

Gene doesn’t need to say anything in return. He’s been saying it all along, maybe just waiting for Babe to catch up and happy that, at last, Babe is there.

**Author's Note:**

> This series of drabbles/ficlets all come from requests received for the "One dozen ways to say 'I love you' for the first time" challenge on Tumblr.


End file.
